The list of devices disappearing from the available line up of Google Play Edition products has just grown by one, with arguably the most popular GPE edition smartphone of them all culled. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition has waved goodbye to the Play Store and is no longer available to buy.

That makes it the latest smartphone bearing the GPE selling point to disappear from the store, with the HTC One M7, LG G Pad, and several others also departing. When those earlier devices left, we merely assumed that they would be replaced, but they have not been. The Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition was the only handset from Samsung available on the Play Store, and as it was popular it is a mystery as to why it has gone.

Sure, Samsung and Google could be rolling out a Google Play Edition of the Galaxy S5 as a replacement, but there is something more mysterious afoot we think. In fact, there are now only two more devices left in the Play Edition Store, the Moto G and the newest addition to the line-up, the HTC One M8 GPE.

We have always liked the Google Play Edition ideal as it gave people a chance to have a flagship device but not compromise on the core Android experience. Stock Android as Google meant it in one of the best devices currently available; it was a fairly potent sell to us. However, has demand waned enough that Google could be killing the project?

Certainly, with the number of devices dwindling and no word at all about any new additions, we could be seeing the last of Google Play Edition handsets. Let's hope that Google's Android Silver line due to land in 2015 will be something similar as that has been rumoured to focus on both high end devices and the core Android experience.

Another possibility is that Google will launch a new range of Google Play Edition devices when it rolls out Android L later in the year.
source: Android and Me

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Luke JonesLuke Jones is the Managing Editor at MobileBurn.com and is the person you need to speak to about the content on the site. Luke studied creative writing at Glamorgan University before carving out a reputation as a freelance tech writer. He settled here at MobileBurn, where he reviews devices and contributes to the news.